Jamini Roy was born in Beliatore, Bankura district, West Bengal in 1887. He joined the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta in 1903, where he was introduced to Western academic aesthetics and mode of painting. He began his artistic career by painting portraits and landscapes in Post Impressionistic style. It was only by 1925, that Roy started experimenting with indigenous visual language abandoning the academic-realistic as well as the then popular revivalist mode of painting. Using earth and vegetable colours on cloth, wood and even woven mats he evolved his own unique style and visual language by early 1930’s. The woven mats offered him a mosaic like surface which he found in the Byzantine art. His interest varies from the visual characteristics of the Bengali kanthas (quilts), alpanas, to Byzantine icons, from the native folklore to Christian theme. His presentation of the Santhal drummers, Krishna Balaram, Radhas, gopinis, pujarinis, Virgin and Child became very popular during the 1940’s. His collectors and admirers included middle-class Bengalis to European community.
He held several solo and numerous group exhibitions. His works can be found in many private and public collections worldwide. Roy received many awards for his significant contribution to Indian art. In 1955, he was awarded Padma Bhushan.